Bangladesh's opposition vowed on Friday to launch an indefinite transport blockade of the capital once the government transfers power to an interim administration that will oversee January elections.
"We will begin an indefinite siege programme to cut off communications with the rest of the country the moment the caretaker government takes over," Abdul Jalil, secretary general of the main opposition Awami League, told AFP.
The government's mandate runs out at midnight on Friday. The administration then has up to 15 days to swear in the head of the caretaker government, although the ceremony is expected to take place within days.
The planned blockade follows the collapse of talks with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over the government's decision to appoint a former BNP official as head of the interim body.
The opposition charges that the government's choice for the post, former Supreme Court justice K.M. Hasan, is partisan and says he should not be appointed to the neutral, non-party body which is intended to ensure that ruling parties do not rig elections.
"The talks were just an unfortunate, time-wasting tactic by the government," said Jalil.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia led a four-party Islamist-allied coalition government since October 2001.
The opposition and its 13 leftist allies have staged a string of protests, strikes, and blockades this year to press its demands.
It also calls for the chief election commissioner and his two deputies too be replaced, accusing them of drawing up a flawed voters' list that includes millions of ghost voters and excludes many opposition supporters.
It has threatened to boycott the elections in January unless its demands are met.